942-943. Vyomakeshi Vimaanastha

 

Vyoma means sky, ether, atmosphere, air, wind etc. Kesha means hair.  Vyomakesha is the name of the avatar of Lord Shiva who played a key role in bringing Ganga down to earth. Vyoma keshi is his shakti. There is a very detailed explanation of this name in the story of Ganga avatarna explained in Ramayana.

Story - King Bhagiratha learns that his forefathers (sagara putras) were devoid of proper last rites and hence are deprived of a peaceful after life. Learned Brahmins advised him that if he brings Ganga to earth and make it flow through their ashes, all their sins will be washed away. Ganga is in Brahma loka. So Bhagiratha does ardent penance (tapasya) to please Brahma. Pleased with his penance, Bhrama agrees to release Ganga to earth. But with a caveat. The earth cannot sustain the force of Ganga if it falls directly from the sky. So he advises Bhagiratha to please Lord Shiva as only He can catch and absorb Ganga force and carefully pass it down to earth. Bhagiratha again does penance to please Lord Shiva. Pleased with his penance, Lord Shiva agrees to bear the force of Ganga when it is falling from the sky. Lord Shiva stands up with feet wide and knees bent. He puts his palms on his hips to get additional support for his neck and calls Ganga to jump on his head. Ganga falls on Lord Shiva's head. But she thinks her force is far superior to Lord Shiva's strength. She is proud and adamant. So she did not respect and bow to him. To teach Ganga a lesson, Lord captures all the water in his hair with out releasing a single drop down to earth. Bhagiratha is again worried as his ultimate motive is still not fulfilled. So he prays Lord to calm down and forgive Ganga. He prays Ganga to realize Lord Shiva's divinity and seek his blessings. Ganga realizes her mistake and begs pardon from Lord Shiva. Pleased with both of them, Lord Shiva gradually releases Ganga(water) to earth.

Scientific theory - Water is the vital source of life on earth. Many civilizations thrived on the banks of sacred rivers. What is the source of this water? As per many scientific theories, water came to earth from outer space. Millions of icy asteroids collided inside the earth's gravitational field to bring abundant water into earth. But this water did not reach the land immediately. It stayed in the sky (atmosphere) for many years in the form of water vapor. Finally, when the atmospheric conditions favored cloud formation and condensation, it rained and this water reached land. It initially fell on mountains and flew down in the form of rivers to form oceans. The water droplets falling from sky(while raining) gain momentum continuously due to gravity. If that happens they will hit the land like a tracer bullet. Their momentum can shatter earth's surface and create havoc. Life cannot sustain. But the atmospheric pressure around us prevents this from happening. After leaving the cloud, the rain drop initially gains speed till 9.2 m/sec. But after that its gain in momentum is nullified by the air friction. So no matter how high or low the cloud is, no matter how far the rain drop travels, the atmosphere around us ensures that it's speed does not exceed 9.2 m/sec.

By looking at the resemblance of the story and scientific theory, is it not logical to say that the name 'Vyomakesha' is a scientific name representing the theory of 'Origination of water on Earth'? If that's true, is Ramayana just a mythological book of  Hindu religion? What would have been the scope and realm of the wisdom of saint Valmiki who wrote Ramayana? Though not related to this name, below is another video on how Ramayana explained the human Endocrine system

Spiritual inference - Vimaanastha means one that resides in the upper most region. Head is the uppermost region of the body. Sahasrara is the uppermost part of the head. That is Divine mother's abode. Hence she is called Vimaanastha.

Another inference is the the sky is infinite. So is Paramatma. Paramaatma is everywhere.